木の芽田楽
Kinome dengaku
Sansho-Sprout Dengaku
English Interpretation
Cut tofu into dengaku pieces and thread onto skewers. Grill over charcoal, then coat with miso infused with the fragrance of kinome (young sansho leaves) and grill once more. A new ceramic brazier, sixty sun long, eight sun wide, and six sun deep, with many holes, is suitable for grilling. Mix amazake into the miso to sweeten it.
原文 · Original (1782)
豆腐を田楽に切りて串に刺すべし。炭火にて焼き、木の芽の香りをたてし味噌を塗りてもう一度炙るべし。新しき陶器の火鉢、六十寸長く、八寸広く、六寸深き、穴多くあるもの焼くに相応し。甘酒を味噌に混ぜて甘くするべし。
Transliteration
Tōfu wo dengaku ni kirite kushi ni sasu beshi. Sumigashira nite yaki, kinome no kaori wo tateshii miso wo nurite mō ichido aburu beshi. Atarashiki tōki no hibachi, rokujussun nagaku, hassun hiroku, rokusun fukaki, ana ōku aru mono yaku ni aiaō shi. Amazake wo miso ni mazete amaku suru beshi.
Notes & Annotations
This is the first recipe in the book. It establishes the foundational dengaku technique used throughout the collection. Dengaku (田楽) originally referred to ritual rice-planting dances; the name transferred to the food because skewered tofu was thought to resemble a dancer on stilts.
English Recipe
Ingredients
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firm tofu 豆腐 1 block (350 g)一丁 Cut into dengaku pieces
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white miso 白味噌 3 tablespoons
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amazake or mirin 甘酒 1 teaspoonFor sweetness
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fresh sansho pepper sprouts 木の芽 1 teaspoon, mincedYoung leaves only
Method
Serves 2–4
1. Press firm tofu and cut into dengaku pieces — rectangular blocks about 5 × 3 cm.
2. Thread onto wooden skewers, one piece per skewer, spacing evenly.
3. Grill over charcoal or gas flame until lightly browned on all sides — about 3–4 minutes.
4. Make kinome miso: 3 tablespoons white miso, 1 teaspoon amazake or mirin, 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh kinome leaves (sansho sprouts). Whisk until smooth.
5. Spread the miso coating on one flat face of each piece.
6. Return to the grill, miso-side up, and cook until the miso puffs and begins to brown — about 1–2 minutes.
Kinome is the fragrant young leaf of the sansho pepper plant. This foundational dengaku establishes the technique used throughout the collection. The fragrant, slightly tingly pepper leaf perfectly complements tofu's neutrality.
1. Press firm tofu and cut into dengaku pieces — rectangular blocks about 5 × 3 cm.
2. Thread onto wooden skewers, one piece per skewer, spacing evenly.
3. Grill over charcoal or gas flame until lightly browned on all sides — about 3–4 minutes.
4. Make kinome miso: 3 tablespoons white miso, 1 teaspoon amazake or mirin, 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh kinome leaves (sansho sprouts). Whisk until smooth.
5. Spread the miso coating on one flat face of each piece.
6. Return to the grill, miso-side up, and cook until the miso puffs and begins to brown — about 1–2 minutes.
Kinome is the fragrant young leaf of the sansho pepper plant. This foundational dengaku establishes the technique used throughout the collection. The fragrant, slightly tingly pepper leaf perfectly complements tofu's neutrality.